Raspberry Pi Desktop brings Debian 13 to older PCs after four years
Raspberry Pi Desktop has returned after a four-year absence, bringing a lightweight Linux operating system to older PCs and Intel Macs. The latest release is based on Debian 13 and features Raspberry Pi's customised Wayland-based desktop environment, making it an appealing option for users wanting to revive ageing machines with a simple, resource-efficient operating system.
The previous version, released in mid-2022, was based on Debian 11 with support ending in August 2025. Raspberry Pi skipped the Debian 12-based Pi OS 5 for PCs when it launched in 2023, instead waiting for Debian 13. The new release, which debuted for Pi hardware in October 2025, has now reached PCs and Intel Macs with Wayland-based graphics and Raspberry Pi Connect remote control, though it drops 32-bit support and requires a fresh installation rather than an upgrade.
- Lightweight OS returns after four-year gap
- Debian 13 base with new Wayland desktop
- Fresh install needed; 32-bit support dropped
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Raspberry Pi is a company known for making small, affordable computers popular in schools and with hobbyists. Raspberry Pi Desktop is an operating system – software that controls how a computer works – designed to help older personal computers run faster and smoother. It appeals to people who want to extend the life of ageing machines without buying new hardware.
The company had not released a major update of this software for standard PCs for four years, instead focusing on versions for its own smaller computers. The previous version was released in 2022, and the operating system is based on Debian, a widely-used free software system that serves as the foundation for many other systems.
The latest Debian software, version 13, was released in 2025 with various improvements and updates. The new Raspberry Pi Desktop is built on this version, though installation requires a fresh setup rather than upgrading from the previous version, and older 32-bit computer systems are no longer supported.
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Originally published by The Register as “Raspberry Pi Desktop catches up with Debian 13 after 4-year wait”.